Bills Beat Blog

Bills top 20 talents: No. 2 - ????

by Joe Buscaglia,posted Jul 17 2014 4:59PM

Ladies and gentlemen…. number two on the list of the top 20 Bills.

WR Sammy Watkins

Age: 21 (6/14/93)Height: 6’1”Weight: 211

Why he’s here:
- There is a clear reason why the Bills traded their first-round pick in 2015 for the right to draft Watkins this year: he’s that damn talented. Watkins has every single tool you could want out of a wide receiver, boasting elite speed, outstanding hands, great range, jump ball abilities, yards after catch, physicality and a small injury history. Coming out of Clemson, he is one of the best receiving prospects in recent memory -- even the Bills likened him to Julio Jones and A.J. Green coming out of college. It isn’t a stretch to say that he has more talent than any other player on the Bills right now, and the Bills feel as though he can be an immediate impact player on the offense. The reason he is not the top player on the list is quite simple: he hasn’t played a down yet. There is a very good chance he will top this list next year, but for now the results haven’t been seen just yet. The skill level and projection of his future are both there, it’s just a matter of going out and proving that all the positive words about him are true.

2014 outlook:
- The Bills will use Watkins immediately as their number one receiver and for good reason. With a weapon like him at EJ Manuel’s disposal, it would be fair to expect that the team uses the Clemson approach with Watkins. In 2013, the Tigers got the ball into his hands as quickly as possible and allowed his top notch yards after catch ability go to work. Might Watkins be limited in his impact based on the run-heavy likelihood of the offense this year? That would likely be the expectation. However, Watkins will be able to put his talents on display on a weekly basis. Unless Manuel is able to get to the next level as a quarterback, it would be unfair to expect Julio Jones or A.J. Green-like production out of Watkins in his first season.